Chapter 166695179

See chapter in newspaper

Chapter NumberXIV
Chapter Url
Full Date1862-08-16
Page Number2
Word Count1864
Last Corrected0000-00-00
Newspaper TitleSydney Mail (NSW : 1860 - 1871)
Trove TitleTales of Barranjuee. No. 1. Morouya, the Black Eagle of Colo
article text


{.By tht Author of « Yo-Yo.' ' My Holiday,' to.)


TnB ehot Ouat hud ptoBtrated their comrade had drawn the attention of tbe tribe to the position occu pied by Morouja, and whilst they still hesitated a- to whether they thould attempt an escalade of the rock, a second shot told upon another of their number. Frantic -with rage, the; tushed forward, but their progress was attested by a loud Bhout in their tear, slid a volley fiom the advancing force of ISveringlon, that now came in tight of the foe. Again stated in

The voice of long Dick was bow heard through the turmoil, encouraging the uibe, and directing them to keep together in u body and force the line of their -white opponents. Bet r; ing their ranks, they were about to make this final charge, when the powerful furm of old Halph, whoke eagerness drove him ahead ol hie part)', suddenly confronted them, lie had cut aside hUinUbket and now advanced, armed only with the heajy Hie that he had so ably and -rigorously y-ieTTOTautiBg the first part of that eventful night, lie did not to much « psu;e to regard the number of his entinies, but madly shouting, ?' My daughter I my daughter 1 ' dashed into their midst. Aimott «ith the words two bheks fell beneath the blows of tlie cumbrous weapon, that in the handi of Kslph termed no more than a willow wand. Tne blbclss wore horror-struck at the figure of the gitnt while who had thus tpung atnougst them like an avenging fpiiit, and fear deprived ttiem even of the f.o-«ir ol flight. Not so Long Dick. Loudly cursing the cowaidjeBrsoi his comrades, he potted his spear and leuncLed it against hid burly opponent. v tupon was aimed but t«o well, fur, entering under the lifcht aroi, it passed nearly iu whole length through Ralph' b body. Tae old man uttered no cry of pain ns be received hit death, wound, but a enrage oath told that he regretted the blow only lor ite robbing him of further vengeance. Summoning his strength fer another effort, he made a wild spring ut a tall mvage near him, but the epell wan now broken by the bold act ul' Long Dick, and Rilph was imne di&telj- grappled with by two or three of the bjlikst of the uibe. By this time, however, the remaining force of tlie whites had come up, and a sharp handto hand encounter ensued, in which Morouya, no longer tible to fue into the mingled mans of ftiendg and fu.s, at once joii ed, (till further dispiriting the black*, wlio fancied that others might still be behind. They wavered, gave ground, and then in a. mad panic broke tnd dublicl away on every tide through the scrub, the -whites tending a parting fchol or two un their rear, to hasten ihdr spied. The attention of all was now directed to Ralph, who lay fetrttcheel upon the ground, Vith the hand of death but too plainly fast closing upon him. Wildly be cast I. is ejes round the ciicle ut' friends who sur rounded liiin, as he otked — ' My daughter ! Whire is she i ' ' She is hufe,' answered the llj-dentciier, who hid played i;o unimportant part in the final struggle, ' Thbi.k God for thit ! ' responded the rising man. ' My sins have not been vUited on her innocent head, and I el. nil die happy.' ' Courage, H&lpli, courage ! ' said Everington. ' It's purhapa not to bad as you imagine.' ' Don't try to give me hope,' he replied. *' I feel tl.i.t 1 am dj ing. A man is never dtcrivtd in that My uiin u tie t-re numbered, and perhaps it's ab well as it is. L'btcn to me whilst I have breatn and reason to tell wlmt 1 would. I em not what 1 seem. A youth of folly and a manhood of villainy tarnished a noble name, and ended in my transportation, unknown and in an assumed nbme, to this colony, whither, after a time, my wife and child fulio «.'-! me. Lvak in th.: large chest in m- hut ; you will there Cad pipers to — wove- tl.M ? ' Ilib linking voice betokened the exhaustion of na ture, mid, before he could ciiiclule, he fell b±ck f i iiEC-itti) in tlie arms of those « lio were supporting him. 'Quick, quick!' said Everington. 'Let his daughter be brought bbfoie it is too late.' ' Slit's in a sste fpot, not far off,' answered the liirdcatchtr, ' at.d I'll letch her to you in no time.' ScaiCfly had he i-aid the woids than a lour), pro longed jell broke on their ears ; so wild, so li?rce, and withal to triumphant in its expmsion, that for a Diorr.tnt the whiles stood paralysed with astonish trtnt. Not to Morouja. who, uttering the word ' lJMrarjucc,' instantly darted off into the brush, in the diiietion of the i-pot wlitnce ihu sound had GUMP. Tocx plain this cry we must revert to Jane Arnolj, upon whom tlit c!(ntli(itruckat636f in hed advanced until he -nas almost within arm's reach. Already had he pat foith I jit hand to clutch her, when the hound of flying black boundTd to'tnc spot. His quick eye caught tight of the light-coloured drees of the girl, and he l.altcd. A tccond glance showed him the bisilUk, ' whote e\il (ye held her in thrall ; and Long Dick, for it nas i.e. instantly recognised tbe cause of all the Diitchief to JiiB tribe. Unable to repress his exulta tion, lie let the wild cry of gratified revenue escape him, and swift as thought sprang upon his foe. The lanle that Dick Watson held, lurni&hed a weapon for the black, who, Seating it out of the almost piier letB grutp of hie enemy, levelled it with savage Ua'.e again and ngain in hU bosom. The half- lilt lees mitcreant received the blow wi'.h a dtepcuise of dibappeinud malice, and as his body rolled over, ttil! quivejing «jth life, tlie ferocious tavage upeLtd a large orifice in his side, thrust his hands into the opening, and brought them firth again filled with the kidney fat of his foe. With this he smeared his head, shoulders, and body ; again and again plunging his reeking hands into the still lirtug body. Hut at list other thoughts of vengeance struck him, and be turned tnwaidb June, who, bicktned At the re volting tptctatle, had barely summoned strength tnougd to drag herself from the immediate spot on which the deed of horror was being committed. Again clutching the knife, he sprang to his feet and dartid toward! the unprotected girl, but in hie enjoyments of revenge he had overlooked his propin quity to his enemies. Before he could reach her his shoulder wus seized by a powerful arm, and he him self was turned sharply round, to find himself face to face with Morouya. On meeting tbe gaze of this dreadi d enemy of his tribe, Long Dick, notwith £tai'di»g his boldness, felt that his last hour had come. Quick as thought, he made a spring upon Huiouja, but he had to deal with an old warrior, who, jumping back as tbe other leaped forward, pre vented the deadly knife lrom reaching bis budy, and before the arm could be raised again, a blow from llorouja's weddy dropped it, broken and powerless, by his side. With the (stoical resignation that would have befitted a hero of ancient Greece or Koine, tbe young warrior bent his head t-- receive the fatal blow, which be m?U knew awaited him ; and the next in stant tbe heavy ironbaik waddy of Morouya crushed through his skull, and stretched him lifeless by the side of bis recent victim. Jane -was now li d to the spot where lay the body of her father, for life had departed before she had been able to reach him. Bearing the corpse of Ralph, the little party proceeded at once to retrace their way to the faun, unwillitig to give their black enemies an other opportunity of attacking them. As they reached the tutnmit of the range on their homeward progress, the first feint glcom of daylight began, to show itself en' the cd stern horizon; and as they looked up in it I they could not but acknowledge the insciutable ways of Providence, which had thus punished vice and pro tected innocence thuughout the m tny dangers of that i eventful night. j ' And,' concluded my narrator, ' if they weren't glad to get thcn.selves out of thtir awkward fix, they ought to have been, that's what I say.' ?? Is that aU ? ' I otktd. ' Why do you want me to go on spinning the yarn tight away to everlasting ? ' answered the storyteller, a rough Eailoring individual who was one of the Cus toms boat's crew. I think you got me into a previous har.keu it is.' ' But was there no marriage, or anything of that kind i ' I ins'nua'.ed. ' I can't Bay, I'm sure,' he replied. ' Mr. Everington was a new chum, and that night sickened him, for lie packd up and cut it, I belisve, to Eng land.' ' And the giil, Jane ; what became or her r ' ' 'Well, you want to know ell the ins and outs, and I can't tell you. She bad a claim to some property or other from the old man, and went borne to get it. That's aU I know about it.' He -wanted l-- get rid of me, but I came up to the attack again. ' Then there were the papers left in the box ; what were they about i' I enquired. ' Now, that wes a xum yarn, too i and perhaps eomc time at other I nwy spin it you. It was through them that Jane went home,',' he answeied. ' And so there was no weddings, and christening?, end living happy all tbe rest of their days, just as the £ood old stories used to end r ' ' If there was,' said he, ' they didn't send me the newe of it. But take my advice and be satiufled with

what you've got from me this time ; and Just listen to Tom Davis* jam, which is about one of th« rnnuneit that «vtr jou heard.' w»b tilting at the fire, plaiting iennit for t hrt, and looked up now that hi* name was mentioned. '. Wliioh one do you mcin,' he asked, ' Tell him about the Treasure 8eeker«.' «»id they all. . ' Well, it ain't a pleasant recollection ; bat, es Wf're going round with it, I don't mind if I d i.' So^ fayinp, ana without for an instant (topping hit plsiiir.g, he began the tale, which at some more oppsr. tune time I may perhaps give to my readers,